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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Don't Panic! Reissued for the first time in 40 years, two unique recordings of Douglas Adams's sci-fi comedy drama.
When Earthman Arthur Dent learns that first his house and then his planet are about to be bulldozed, it's the beginning of an interplanetary adventure for him and his friend, Ford Prefect. After fleeing Earth they hitch a lift with hoopy frood Zaphod Beeblebrox, who hurtles from one improbability to another - literally. With Trillian and Marvin the Paranoid Android in tow, the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything is soon revealed: 42. But what was the question?
Following the success of the BBC radio series, Douglas Adams adapted his scripts for these two full-cast albums, with incidental radiophonic music provided by Paddy Kingsland. First released by Original Records in 1980, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe star Peter Jones as The Book, Simon Jones as Arthur Dent, Geoffrey McGivern as Ford Prefect and Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox.
Hang onto your towel - it's going to be the ride of a lifetime.
RUNNING TIME ➼ 3hrs.
When Earthman Arthur Dent learns that first his house and then his planet are about to be bulldozed, it's the beginning of an interplanetary adventure for him and his friend, Ford Prefect. After fleeing Earth they hitch a lift with hoopy frood Zaphod Beeblebrox, who hurtles from one improbability to another - literally. With Trillian and Marvin the Paranoid Android in tow, the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything is soon revealed: 42. But what was the question?
Following the success of the BBC radio series, Douglas Adams adapted his scripts for these two full-cast albums, with incidental radiophonic music provided by Paddy Kingsland. First released by Original Records in 1980, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe star Peter Jones as The Book, Simon Jones as Arthur Dent, Geoffrey McGivern as Ford Prefect and Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox.
Hang onto your towel - it's going to be the ride of a lifetime.
RUNNING TIME ➼ 3hrs.
- GenresAudiobook
Audible Audio
Published May 21, 2020
About the author
Douglas Adams
122 books23.8k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Douglas Noel Adams was an English author, humourist, and screenwriter, best known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (HHGTTG). Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy developed into a "trilogy" of five books that sold more than 15 million copies in his lifetime. It was further developed into a television series, several stage plays, comics, a video game, and a 2005 feature film. Adams's contribution to UK radio is commemorated in The Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.
Adams also wrote Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988), and co-wrote The Meaning of Liff (1983), The Deeper Meaning of Liff (1990) and Last Chance to See (1990). He wrote two stories for the television series Doctor Who, co-wrote City of Death (1979), and served as script editor for its seventeenth season. He co-wrote the sketch "Patient Abuse" for the final episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus. A posthumous collection of his selected works, including the first publication of his final (unfinished) novel, was published as The Salmon of Doubt in 2002.
Adams was a self-proclaimed "radical atheist", an advocate for environmentalism and conservation, and a lover of fast cars, technological innovation, and the Apple Macintosh.
Douglas Noel Adams was an English author, humourist, and screenwriter, best known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (HHGTTG). Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy developed into a "trilogy" of five books that sold more than 15 million copies in his lifetime. It was further developed into a television series, several stage plays, comics, a video game, and a 2005 feature film. Adams's contribution to UK radio is commemorated in The Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.
Adams also wrote Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988), and co-wrote The Meaning of Liff (1983), The Deeper Meaning of Liff (1990) and Last Chance to See (1990). He wrote two stories for the television series Doctor Who, co-wrote City of Death (1979), and served as script editor for its seventeenth season. He co-wrote the sketch "Patient Abuse" for the final episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus. A posthumous collection of his selected works, including the first publication of his final (unfinished) novel, was published as The Salmon of Doubt in 2002.
Adams was a self-proclaimed "radical atheist", an advocate for environmentalism and conservation, and a lover of fast cars, technological innovation, and the Apple Macintosh.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 20, 2023
Ah, these recordings are really worth the listen! Great entertainment 👌
April 23, 2020
I listened to the German audiobook (which spans books 1-2) before I read the first novel in English. I liked the book better.
This does not mean, though, that this is a bad production. But as someone more used to readings as an audibook-format than to actual radioplays, there was much too much "noise" going on in the background. I simply found it hard to follow the story sometimes when every character was shouting in my ears at once.
On reading the book, I also found that many of the characters had quite a different voice in my head than had been picked for this recording. "Humourous" voices had been chosen, in my opinion, instead of fitting ones - the story can do the humour all by itself, without the help of funny voices.
This does not mean, though, that this is a bad production. But as someone more used to readings as an audibook-format than to actual radioplays, there was much too much "noise" going on in the background. I simply found it hard to follow the story sometimes when every character was shouting in my ears at once.
On reading the book, I also found that many of the characters had quite a different voice in my head than had been picked for this recording. "Humourous" voices had been chosen, in my opinion, instead of fitting ones - the story can do the humour all by itself, without the help of funny voices.
January 16, 2025
Tolle Umsetzung des Buches 👌
Der Mensch Arthur Dent, dessen Erde, aufgrund einer Hyperraum-Expressroute zerstört wird. Sein Freund Ford Prefect. ein Beteigeuze-Bewohner nimmt ihn mit in den Weltraum.
Herrlich der manisch-depressive Marvin ( Mitglied des Raumschiffes „Herz aus Gold“ ) ein Roboter mit echt menschlichen Persönlichkeitsbild und der Gehirngrösse eines Planeten.
Und natürlich der Computer Deep Thought, der die Antwort auf die Fragen aller Fragen sucht .
Immer wieder gerne anhören oder lesen 😊
Der Mensch Arthur Dent, dessen Erde, aufgrund einer Hyperraum-Expressroute zerstört wird. Sein Freund Ford Prefect. ein Beteigeuze-Bewohner nimmt ihn mit in den Weltraum.
Herrlich der manisch-depressive Marvin ( Mitglied des Raumschiffes „Herz aus Gold“ ) ein Roboter mit echt menschlichen Persönlichkeitsbild und der Gehirngrösse eines Planeten.
Und natürlich der Computer Deep Thought, der die Antwort auf die Fragen aller Fragen sucht .
Immer wieder gerne anhören oder lesen 😊
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2024
I listened to each one of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books. Eventually, they all kind of ran together, but I started out with this audio version The Hitchhiker's Guide, the original tapes. One of the interesting things I think about the Hitchhiker's Guide is that there are so many different versions, from the radio version, the television version, the movie version, the book version, the audiobook version of the book version, and different audiobook versions of the book version. This one was like the others, and had another rough draft of the Hitchhiker's Guide concept with Douglas Adams continuously refined through different forms. The first book, truly the best book of the series, kicks off the entire wacky feeling of the universe, a wacky feeling that continues, although the quality of the books and the quality of the plots does not a true highlight, a magnificent treasure, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I've read it before, and I'll read it again. What a wonderful time spent well spent with Douglas Adams, a good friend that I know through reading.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
May 2, 2022
The original radio series and the following TV are both truly great but for me these albums are the definitive way to hear the early phases of hitchhikers. I am sure there is a large dose of nostalgia in this view as the albums were the version I owned in the 70s but they seem to be the version with all the best elements but edited sufficiently enough to avoid being indulgent. Wonderful stuff and very highly recommended.
June 5, 2020
Basically a slightly abridged version of the original radio series so that each episode would fit on one side of a vinyl LP record
August 28, 2022
Loved the novel before ever learning it was a radio play. Coming back to the radio play was like reading it for the first time yet again. Incredibly glad I picked this up.
November 9, 2022
Not as good as the radio series or the TV series, with some sequences abbreviated in a way that removes humour (especially the Deep Thought sequence, weirdly) but still very enjoyable, of course.
June 19, 2023
Although I've read the books a couple of times, it was good to hear them read and provided another whole level of experience.
July 3, 2024
Many years ago, there was a radio show and then a book, unless the BBC video was first and Then, there was a book, or at any rate many years later there was finally a movie and it was kinda OK even if it did have the best opening song ever performed by dolphins. While the performing dolphins had to wait many years, 25 or thereabouts, the Douglas Adams Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, BBC television series best captures the unique to Douglas Adams way of off-center humor.
I first became aware of this flavor of English humor when it was a radio show. At that time, in America, it was the something different that John Cleese was promising , also on radio via, I'm Sorry I'll Read that Again. Then again, John only had the Angus Prune Tune and performing dolphins donot come across well on the radio.
Also, many years later, more than 25, and in the name of full disclosure, the Wife and I had Marvin the paranoid android as our server in a very expensive New Orleans Restaurant. There we did not meet the meat, but we did learn that he still had pain in the diodes down the left side of his body. I think we tipped well, mostly.
Which is to say a lot of time has passed over H2G2. Most of that time I had at least the cassette version of the radio show, later the CD and again first the tape version and now DVD version of the BBC original version. Of the later version I reserve comment. If you are still hanging in, you may conclude that I am a fan. And this time I will be giving up this copy as part of a pending move.
Hoping it is not a spoiler, the first thing is, the Earth is destroyed to make space for a Hyper Space freeway, or By Pass to use the term used. That Earth was, at the time populated was not the fault of the Vogon contractors who has, as per interspace planning policy posted the planned destruction as required prominently, on Pluto.
Fortunately, one earthling, well technically 2, some mice and all of the dolphins get away because the mice, sorry but that would be telling. I will say this much, once the dolphins escape, they also escape from the story.
Ok a lot of it is silliness, and that is a good thing. It is family friendly, allowing for a lot of blasters and terrible Vogon poetry, but it is fun. It is infinitely probable that this is the best of Douglas Adams, and that makes it better than pretty good, probably.
In conclusion: So long and thanks for all the fish.
I first became aware of this flavor of English humor when it was a radio show. At that time, in America, it was the something different that John Cleese was promising , also on radio via, I'm Sorry I'll Read that Again. Then again, John only had the Angus Prune Tune and performing dolphins donot come across well on the radio.
Also, many years later, more than 25, and in the name of full disclosure, the Wife and I had Marvin the paranoid android as our server in a very expensive New Orleans Restaurant. There we did not meet the meat, but we did learn that he still had pain in the diodes down the left side of his body. I think we tipped well, mostly.
Which is to say a lot of time has passed over H2G2. Most of that time I had at least the cassette version of the radio show, later the CD and again first the tape version and now DVD version of the BBC original version. Of the later version I reserve comment. If you are still hanging in, you may conclude that I am a fan. And this time I will be giving up this copy as part of a pending move.
Hoping it is not a spoiler, the first thing is, the Earth is destroyed to make space for a Hyper Space freeway, or By Pass to use the term used. That Earth was, at the time populated was not the fault of the Vogon contractors who has, as per interspace planning policy posted the planned destruction as required prominently, on Pluto.
Fortunately, one earthling, well technically 2, some mice and all of the dolphins get away because the mice, sorry but that would be telling. I will say this much, once the dolphins escape, they also escape from the story.
Ok a lot of it is silliness, and that is a good thing. It is family friendly, allowing for a lot of blasters and terrible Vogon poetry, but it is fun. It is infinitely probable that this is the best of Douglas Adams, and that makes it better than pretty good, probably.
In conclusion: So long and thanks for all the fish.
May 25, 2024
I think I prefer the books, but this is still a perfectly fine version if you only care for the bare-bones story or lack the time. As someone who has finished books 1 to 5 (about 29 hours of audiobooks), I found more value from the behind the scenes segment. I did enjoy hearing a full cast performance with sound effects, although some voices were a little hard to understand through the distortion.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews